If you would like to refer a patient into our service, please email your referral letter.

Email: lwft.clingen@nhs.net 

Your referral must include: 

  • The patient's name, date of birth, NHS number and postcode
  • For cancer referrals, please include any histology report(s)
  • Any other background or further information about the patient is always useful.  

Please contact us with any questions or for advice if required, you can find our referral criteria here.  

Urgent referrals 

Urgent referrals can be accepted just as a written email as long as all patient information (NHS number, name, date of birth, postcode, telephone number) is included in the email, but all routine referrals should include a formal letter (PDF/word format). 

We aim to respond to urgent referrals in three to five working days.  

Examples of urgent referrals include: 

  • Ongoing pregnancy
  • Recent diagnosis of cancer where a genetic test result may impact on clinical decisions. 

All new referrals are triaged by a member of the clinical team. If, after reading our referral criteria, you are unsure whether to refer please contact us.    

Rare Disease Referral Criteria   

Please provide as much clinical and family history information as possible in your referral in order for us to triage the patient appropriately. For further information please see our Rare Disease Referral Criteria.    

Cancer Referral Criteria  

Please provide a copy of the histology report(s) and as much clinical and family history information as possible in your referral in order for us to triage the patient appropriately. For further information please see our Cancer Referral Criteria.    

Please note that meeting referral criteria does not necessarily mean your patient will receive a genetic test. 

Our dedicated genomics strategy team provides a number of roles both internally and externally: 

  • Organise (internal and external) monthly education sessions for our team to contribute to CPD. 
  • Support the mainstreaming pathways and incorporation of Genomic Medicine within other specialities. 
  • Support Genomic Medicine upskilling of HCPs. 
  • Teaching requests can be received via lwft.clingen@nhs.net  

We have regular involvement with the genomic medicine service alliance liaising with the education leads there. 

They can be contacted directly at: North West Genomic Medicine Service Alliance  

Further resources for Health Care Professionals 

Genomics in the NHS – NHS England 

The Genomics in the NHS programme is a collection of elearning courses developed by NHS educational teams to support and educate healthcare professionals about genomic medicine and the benefit it will bring to patient care. 

Their foundation courses have been developed for healthcare professionals with limited exposure to genomics in their role. Whereas the specialised courses are designed for healthcare professionals working in the NHS, who support patients through genomic testing. 

Genomics England – NHS England 

The NHS Genomic Medicine Service (NHS GMS) is the arm of the NHS working to enable the NHS to harness the power of genomic technology and science to improve the health of our population. You can also find further information about the 100,000 Genomes Project and the Newborn Genomes Programme.   

Genomics Education Programme – NHS Health Education England 

Health Education England’s Genomics Education Programme exists to deliver and advise on learning and development opportunities that prepare current and future NHS professionals to make the best use of genomics in their practice. They have excellent resources available for free online in many different formats including: 

  • Bitesize genomics 
  • Clinical resources 
  • Core concepts 
  • Image library 
  • Online courses 
  • Podcasts 
  • Taught courses 
  • Teaching resources 
  • Videos: 
  • Including a series called series, Let’s Talk About… Genomic Testing, which has been developed to cover the key considerations when discussing genomic testing with patients. 
  • Also, short videos explaining different inheritance patterns (e.g. autosomal dominant inheritance and autosomal recessive inheritance). 
  • Genomics glossary.

GeNotes – NHS Health Education England 

In the Clinic - Focused on the point of patient care, these short scenarios look at when to consider genomic testing and what you need to do. Including the specialities of Fetal and Women’s Health, Oncology and Paediatrics.   

The Knowledge Hub - Extend your learning with this encyclopaedia of resources, designed to support your understanding of genomics in medicine. 

The Knowledge Hub articles are organised into different themes, including core concepts, conditions, genes, therapies, technologies and genomics in action. The articles feature a range of supporting multimedia, including animations, films, interviews and infographics. 

Scientist Training Programme – training to become a Genomic Counsellor 

You can enter a career in Genomic Counselling through the NHS Scientist Training Programme (STP). The STP is a funded three-year programme of work-based learning, supported by a University accredited master's degree. You can find further information about the STP from the National School of Healthcare Science. 

At the moment individuals trained in this area work under the professional title of Genetic Counsellors. 

STP Perspectives was set up in August 2017 to promote healthcare science and create a platform for trainee healthcare scientists to share their experiences. You can find their blog on their website, STP Perspectives. 

Mainstream Genomic Testing for inherited breast cancer (R208) 

Mainstream Genomic Testing for Inherited Breast Cancer (R208) Merseyside and Cheshire 

Overview 

Forms 

Useful Documents and Resources  

Mainstream Genomic Testing for inherited prostate cancer (R430) 

Forms 

Useful documents and resources  

Mainstream Genomic Testing for Inherited Gynaecological Cancers (R207 and R210)

Useful documents and resources